The invention relates to paint brushes, especially those which are used by highly skilled artisans, such as engravers, artists, sign painters and calligraphers to produce finer, more detailed work requiring the use of smaller brush hairs or bristles than those needed, for example, in the interior or exterior painting of a house.
The brushes used by such artisans number in the dozens and vary in size and shape depending on the manufacturer of the brush. It can be easily imagined that a large compartmented-type case must be used to store and transport the brushes. The invention solves this particular problem by the provision of a small, compact kit which contains a number of differently sized brush tips that can be interchangeably used with a single, two-piece handle.
Briefly stated, the invention is in a brush that can be used with any artistic medium, such as oil or watercolor paints, or ink. The brush has a metal ferrule for holding hairs or bristles, and a handle which is in axial alignment with the ferrule. Means, associated with the ferrule, are provided for detachably mounting the handle on the ferrule. Such means are carried by a number of differently sized ferrules which, because of such means, can be selectively mounted to the same handle.
Another aspect of the invention is the provision of a two-piece handle which is composed of two axially aligned sections which, when joined together, form a single, longer handle, but which are detachable from each other. Further, the rear section of the handle farthest spaced from the handle, is supplied with means whereby it can be detachably mounted to each of the ferrules, if a shorter handle brush is desired. Such is generally the case when a brush having a small number of bristles or hairs is used.
The sections of the handle each measure about four and one-half inches in length. The brush tips, including a ferrule and bristles or hairs, are shorter. Thus, a small compact carrying case measuring about four by six by three-quarters inches, can house a handle and four to six differently sized brush tips. The handle is made of plastic, rather than wood, so that broken handles are no longer a problem. Moreover, the use of a single handle substantially reduces the cost of a set of brushes wherein each of the brushes is provided with its own handle.